LYCRA Company partners with Dairen for world’s first large-scale bio-derived spandex

The LYCRA Company has announced a collaboration with Dairen Chemical Corporation (DCC) to create a key ingredient for their bio-derived LYCRA® fiber. DCC will convert QIRA®, a bio-based material, into low-impact PTMEG, a crucial component representing 70% of the bio-derived fiber’s content.

This partnership is significant because DCC’s allyl alcohol process creates the most eco-friendly PTMEG available, significantly reducing the carbon footprint compared to traditional methods. This aligns with The LYCRA Company’s commitment to sustainable solutions.

“Sustainability has evolved from fulfilling requirements to being a competitive advantage,” said Simon Chuang, vice president of global sourcing and procurement at The LYCRA Company. “We’re committed to selecting, promoting, and expanding our business with supply partners like DCC who embrace and drive meaningful sustainability efforts.”

The resulting bio-derived LYCRA® fiber, launching in early 2025, will be the world’s first large-scale renewable spandex. Made with annually renewable corn, it offers a potential carbon footprint reduction of up to 44% while maintaining the performance of traditional LYCRA® fiber. This makes it an easy transition for manufacturers and retailers.

“We are excited to collaborate with DCC to bring bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® to market and realize our shared vision for a more sustainable value chain,” said Stewart. “Given the combination of using bio-derived input from corn, plus conversion at a state-of-the-art QORE® facility run on wind power, and transformation to PTMEG using DCC’s low-impact process, we anticipate the potential for additional reductions as we go into production.”

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